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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS LST-946

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Victor - Uniform - Delta
NVUD

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1)
Bottom Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Liberation Medal

LST-542 Class Tank Landing Ship

Laid down, 15 August 1944, at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA.

Launched, 20 September 1944

Commissioned USS LST-946, 12 October 1944, LTjg. Donald A. Schlarbaum USN in command

During World War II LST-946 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater:
LST Flotilla Twenty-One, CAPT. W.H. Brereton USN (24);
LST Group Sixty-Two, CDR. W.M. Gillett USN (27);
LST Division One Hundred Twenty-Four and participated in the following campaign:

Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 26 March to 7 May 1945

Following World War II USS LST-946 was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal
12 November to 8 December 1945
25 December 1945 to 23 January 1946
1 to 19 February 1946

Decommissioned, 25 June 1946

Struck from the Naval Register, 31 July 1946

USS LST-946 earned one battle star for World War II service

Final Disposition, sold, 25 May 1948, to California Co. for operation, fate unknown

Specifications:

Displacement

1,625 t.(lt)

4,080 t.(fl) (sea-going draft w/1675 ton load)

2,366 t. (beaching displacement)

Length 328' o.a.

Beam 50'

Draft

light 2' 4" fwd, 7' 6" aft

sea-going 8' 3" fwd, 14' 1" aft

landing 3' 11" fwd, 9' 10" aft (landing w/500 ton load)

limiting 11' 2"

maximum navigation 14' 1"

Speed 11.6 kts. (trial)

Endurance 24,000 miles @ 9kts. while displacing 3960 tons

Complement

13 officers

104 enlisted

Troop Accommodations

16 officers

147 enlisted

Boats 2 LCVP

Cargo Capacity (varied with mission - payloads between 1600 and 1900 tons)

Typical loads

One Landing Craft Tank (LCT), tanks, wheeled and tracked vehicles, artillery, construction equipment and military supplies. A ramp or elevator forward allowed vehicles access to tank deck from main deck

Additional capacity included sectional pontoons carried on each side of vessel amidships, to either build Rhino Barges or use as causeways. Married to the bow ramp, the causeways would enabled payloads to be delivered ashore from deeper water or where a beachhead would not allow the vessel to be grounded forward after ballasting

Armament (varied with availability when each vessel was outfitted. Retro-fitting was accomplished throughout WWII. The ultimate armament design for United States vessels was

2 - Twin 40MM gun mounts w/Mk. 51 directors

4 - Single 40MM gun mounts

12 single 20MM gun mounts

Fuel Capacity

Diesel 4,300 Bbls

Propulsion

two General Motors 12-567A, 900hp Diesel engines

single Falk Main Reduction Gears

three Diesel-drive 100Kw 230V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

two propellers, 1,700shp

twin rudders

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
81k	*LST-946* launching at Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, MA. 20 September 1944	Christopher Crane for his grandfather LTjg. Burle E. McMahen. USS LST-946
45k	USS LST-946 personnel inspection, Engineering Force, circa 14 October 1944.	Rob Wade for Walter J. Simon MoMM2/c USS LST-946
82k	USS LST-946 personnel inspection, Ens, Burle E. McMahen and Engineering Department, circa 14 October 1944.	Rob Wade for Walter J. Simon MoMM2/c USS LST-946
49k	USS LST-946 personnel inspection by Commanding Officer, LTjg. D. A. Schlarbaum, circa 14 October 1944.	Rob Wade for Walter J. Simon MoMM2/c USS LST-946
92k	USS LST-946 personnel inspection, Deck Force, circa 14 October 1944.	Rob Wade for Walter J. Simon MoMM2/c USS LST-946
71k	USS LST-946 officers, circa 14 October 1944.	Rob Wade for Walter J. Simon MoMM2/c USS LST-946
261k	USS LST-946 under way in San Francisco Bay after passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, circa early 1946 with *LCT-1376* on board. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 79590. Courtesy of D.M. McPherson, 1974.	Rob Wade for Walter J. Simon MoMM2/c USS LST-946
40k	USS LST-946 under way, probably in San Francisco Bay, circa 1946. Photo available for purchase from ©Nobe Smith, Atlantic Fleet Sales, Box 6202, Norfolk, VA 23508 All Rights Reserved	Rob Wade for his grandfather Walter Crickman GM3/c USS LST-946
199k	USS LST-946 at anchor, date and location unknown. Note "Fort Defiance" painted on the forward Mk51 Fire Control tub. This is not an actual photo of *LST-946* but a doctored US Navy standard stock photo of an LST. Note the absence of a hull number.	Rob Wade for his grandfather Walter Crickman GM3/c USS LST-946

USS LST-946
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LTjg. Schlarbaum, Donald Archie, USN	12 October 1944 - 13 June 1946
02	LTjg. French, Richard A., USNR	13 June 1946 - 25 June 1946


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
History of LST-946 alias USS Fort Defiance
The USS LST Ship Memorial
LST Home Port
State LST Chapters
United States LST Association

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 6 November 2015